Production of alloy of alkaline-earth metals



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUILLAUME JUSTINE KROLL, or LUXEMBURG, LUXEMBURG.

1,359,813. No Drawing. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUILLAUME JUSTINE KnoLL, metallurgical engineer, a subject of the Grand Duchess of Luxemburg, residing at 12 J osefstreet, Luxemburg, Grand Duchy of Lzixemburg, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Production of Alloys of Alkaline-Earth Metals, of

which the following is a specification.

It'is possible to produce the alloys of certain metals with alkaline earthy metals (including magnesium and beryllium) by causing the halogen' compounds of the alkaline earthy metals to react while in a molten condition on a'heated alloy (or mixture) of the other metals with alkaline metals, whereby the alkaline metal is replaced by the alkaline earth metal of the molten salt and vice versa. In carrying out this process the molten salt should be as liquid as possible for obtaining a quick and thorough reaction. On the other hand the halogen compounds of the alkaline earth metals,

especially the chlorids and fluorids which are principally used, have relatively high melting points, and, as has been found by the inventor, their liquidity and therefore their reacting power are also rapidly impaired during the process, probably by the formation of .oxy-salts. Besides, should the melting point of the salts be too high, there is the risk that part of the alkaline metal, and also the main metals if they are of low melting and boiling point, (such as for instance lead) will partly evaporate.

The objectof the present invention is to remove these difficulties and consists primarily in employing mixtures of salts including double or multiple salts instead of a single halogen salt in carrying out the above process. By varying the kind, number and percentage of the ingredients of such salt mixtures their fusing pointmay be lowered even below the pointof fusion of that element of the mixture, which has the lowest fusing point and also their liquidity may be greatly improved. So it becomes possible, by using suitable salt mix-v tures, to carry out the process with ease using the most simple heating means, such for instance as iron-built melting pans heated with coal.

The invention comprises many forms of carrying out the process, some of which will be described in the following:

It may be desirable to introduce but one PRODUCTION OF. ALLOY 0F ALKALINE-EARTH METALS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pate t d N 23 1920 Application filed January 30, 1920. Serial No. 355,193.

alkaline earth metal to be alloyed, combinations of these halogens with another compound or compounds of the same. alkali earth metal, another halogen compound or compounds or otherchemical compounds.

may be employed. Two or more halogen salts of the alkaline earth to be alloyed must be present besides the other compounds or salts. After having introduced one alkali earth metal to the alloy, there may be added to the alloy, if desired, in one or more of the subsequent operations, still an other, or severalof the other alkaline earth metals, by treating the alloy in the same manner with salt mixtures containing the corresponding alkaline earthy metals.

An alloy containing two or more alkaline earth metals may be produced also in a single operation, by using saltmixtures containing simultaneously both or more alkaline earth metals to be alloyed. In this case for instance the salt mixtures may'consist either of two or more similar or different halogen compounds .of the alkaline earth metals to be alloyed only, or they may contain, besides one or more other chemical compounds of these metals, one or more other halogen compounds or other chemical compounds. i

The other halogen compounds available for the production of salt compositions according to the present invention may be either compounds, the metals of which are likewise capable of being replaced by the alkaline metal in the alloy (such as for instance aluminium, cadmium, copper, zinc, lead, bismuth), and which in consequence enter into the alloy besides the alkaline earth metal or metals, or which do not react with the alkaline metal in the alloy (such as-for instance the halogen compounds of sodium, when sodium is made use of). The other chemical compounds available for modifying the melting point and fluidity ofihe salt mixtures may be for instance oxids, sulfids, carbonates, borates, silicates, hosphates, sulfates, carbids, phosphids, silicids, and the like. Also these chemical compounds may or may not react chemically on the metals or salts employed in the process. All metals able to combine with the alkaline earth metals are fit for serving as the main metal for the alloys to be produced. Should these main metals not be able to alloy with the alkaline metals, the molten salt mixtures may be caused to react on mechanical mixtures of these metals with alkaline metals. Of course the main metal may also be an alloy of two or more metals and the alloy produced according to the present invention may in addition to the alkali earth metals also contain alkaline metal, and any suitable other metals may be combined therewith.

Though in most cases it is desirable that the salt mixtures have their melting point as low as possible, in some cases it may be advantageous to use salt mixtures, the melting points of which are higher than those of their components,-such for instance may be the case when it is intended to produce alloys of metals with a very high melting point, (e. g. copper), or when halogen compounds of very low melting and boiling points, (0. g. chlorid or beryllium), are to be used.

The following examples will illustrate the invention:

(I) To obtain an alloy of lead with calcium a mixture of calcium chlorid and calcium fiuorid (such as for instance the mixture of 85 parts of calcium chlorid and 15 parts of calcium fluorid, melting at 650) is caused to react while in a molten condition upon a molten alloy of lead and sodium. The calcium contained in the molten salt mixture will be replaced by the sodium, and

the calcium will alloy with the lead.

An alloy of lead and barium may be obtained in the same way by employing a mixture of barium chlorid and barium fluorid;

an alloy of lead and magnesium by using carnallite or a mixture of carnallite with sodium-chlorid.

(II) To obtain an alloy of lead containing both calcium and barium, the lead and sodium alloy is caused to react with a mixture of calcium chlorid and barium chlorid (such as for instance the mixture of 1 part of calcium chlorid and 1 part of barium chlorid melting at 600) or a mixture of 80 parts of calcium chlorid, 10 parts of calcium carbonate, and 10 parts of barium carbonate, melting at 550, may be made use of.

A lead alloy containing calcium and magnesium can be obtained by using a mixture of calcium chlorid and magnesium chlorid. A lead alloy containing barium and magnesium can be similarly obtained.

III)-An alloy of aluminium and magnesium may be obtained by preparing a mechanical mixture of aluminium with metallicsodium, briqueting this mixture, and submitting it in this form to the reaction of a molten salt mixture consisting of cryolite and magnesium chlorid or magnesium fluorid; or carnallite to which for instance sodium chlorid could be added may be made use of.

The alloy of aluminium with beryllium may be obtained likewise by causing the briqueted aluminium-sodium-mixture to react on a mixture of beryllium fiuorid and fiuorid of sodium.

(IV) A copper-calcium-alloy may be obtained by mixing calciumchloridwith boric acid (or a borate) and causing this mixture to react on a coppersodium-mixture. A copper-alloy results which contains boron besides calcium.

(V) A lead alloy containing manganese besides barium may be obtained by using a salt mixture which besides barium chlorid also contains manganese compounds, such as for example manganese oxid or sulfid.

In the same manner a copper-aluminiumcalcium alloy can be produced by using a mixture of calcium chlorid (calcium. fiuorid) and aluminium sulfid.

As in carrying out the process according to the present invention a state of equilibrium will soon establish itself between the salt mixture and the alkali metal alloy, hindering complete removal of the sodium from the alloy, it is advantageous to renew the salt mixture once or several times in the course of the process: This may be done for instance by dividing the amount of salt required for complete reaction into several portions which are fed successively, the preceding portion being removed or not. removed before adding a fresh portion; or the portions having already been in reaction may be caused to react on an alloy richer in alkaline metal, whereupon it may be removed and a fresh mixture may be brought to reaction in one or several portions.

A quicker and more thorough reaction between the molten salt and the alkali metal alloy may be obtained also by maintaining either the alkali metal alloy or the molten salt or both of them simultaneously in a flowing state. For this reason it may be advantageous to use the counter-current method, in which the fresh salt meets with an alloy poorer in alkaline metal, while the salt having been already used in the reaction meets an alloy richer in alkaline metal.

lVhat I claim is:

1. The process of producing metal alloys containing one of the alkali earth metals, including magnesium and beryllium, which comprises treating a heated mixture or alloy of an alkali metal and another metal with a molten mixture of chemical compounds containing atleast one halogen compound of the alkali earth metal to be alloyed.

2. The process of producing metal alloys containing one of the alkali earth metals including magnesium and beryllium which comprises treating a heated mixture or alloys of an alkali metal and another metal 3. The process of producing metal alloys I containing one of the alkali earth metals including magnesium and beryllium which comprises treating a heated mixture or alloy of alkali metals and other metals with a molten mixture of a plurality of halogen compounds of the earth alkali metal to be alloyed and other chemical compounds.

4. The process of producing "metal alloys containing earth alkali metals including magnesium and beryllium which comprises treating a heated mixture or alloy of alkali metals and other metals with a molten mixture of halogen compounds of the alkali earth metals to be alloyed.

5. The process of producing metal alloys containing earth alkali metals including magnesium and beryllium which comprises treating a heated mixture or alloy of alkali metals and other metals with a molten mixture of the alkali earth metals to be alloyed and other chemical compounds.

' 6. The process of producing metal alloys containing earth alkali metals including magnesium and beryllium, which comprises treating a heated mixture or alloy of alkali metals and other metals with a molten mixture of the halogen compounds of the earth alkali metals to be alloyed, the latter mixture and the mixture of alkali metals with other .metals being in a' flowing condition ture of alkali metals with other metals being in a flowing condition in relation to each other.

8. The process ofproducmg metalalloys containing earth alkali, metals including magnesium and berylliumwhich comprises treating a heated mixture or alloy ofalkali metals and other metals with successive portions of a molten mixture of halogen comounds of the earthalkali metals to oyed.

'9; The process of producing metal alloys containing earth alkali metals including magnesium and beryllium which comprises treating a heated mixture or alloy of alkali metals and other .metals with successive portions of a molten mixture of halo en compounds of the earth alkali meta s to be alloyed and other chemical compounds.

be al- 11. The process of producing metal alloys 7 containing barium, which comprises .treatin a heated mixture or alloy of an alkali meta and' other metals with a molten mixture of a plurality of halogen compo 'nds of barium. 12. .The process of produci, g metal alloys containing barium which comprises treating a heated mixture or alloy of an alkali metal and, other metals with a molten mixture of a plurality of halogen compounds of barium and other chemical compounds.

' 13. The process of producing a metal alloy containing barium and calcium, which comprises treating a heated mixture .1 alloy of an alkali metal and other metals. with a. molten mixture of halogen compounds of barium and halogen compounds of calcium.

14; Theprocess of producing a metal alloy molten alloy of lead and an alkali metal w th a molten mixture of a plurality of halogen compounds of barium. V

17. The process of. producing an "alloy of lead and barium which com ilriises treating a molten'alloy of lead and an a ali metal with a molten mixture ofa plurality of halogen compounds of bariumand other chemcal compounds.

16-. The process of producing an alloy of lead and barium which comprises treating a 18. The process of producing an alloy of lead, barium and calcium, which comprises treating a molten alloy of lead and an alkali metal with a molten mixture of 'halogen compounds of barium and halogen compounds of calcium.

19. The process of producing an alloy of I lead and barium which comprises treatin a molten alloy of. lead-andan alkali meta with a molten mixture of halogen compounds of barium and halogen compounds of calcium and other chemical compounds. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. ,GUILLAUME JUSTINE KROLL.

Witnesses. I 

